Among his many other talents, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick apparently has inside information on the inner workings of Mexican drug cartels.  Patrick claimed at a news conference on Tuesday that drug cartels have been ramping up operations in anticipation that the troops would soon be leaving the area.  Patrick seems increasingly desperate for an excuse to keep the Texas National Guard on the border in the face of a decrease in illegal border crossings by undocumented persons.  The International Business Times reports that Patrick is fighting to keep the National Guard on the border after funds for former Gov. Rick Perry’s deployment run out next month.

[Patrick] announced he would be requesting $12 million in funding to keep the troops there until May and would work on an additional bill to extend their stay through August. “Under no circumstance should we have a complete pullout of the National Guard next month,” he said[.]

Former Gov. Rick Perry ordered 1,000 National Guard troops to the border last year amid a surge of unauthorized border crossings by unaccompanied children and families. Perry argued that the Texas border was left vulnerable to drug cartels and traffickers because Border Patrol resources were diverted to handle the influx. Perry stated at the time that he expected Washington, D.C., to eventually foot the bill for the troops’ presence there.

Troop levels have been winding down in the weeks leading up to their scheduled departure in March, and around 200 remain. The number of unauthorized border crossings has also waned since August.